The award is given annually to the author and editor of the most outstanding debut novel for children. Set up in the memory of author Henrietta Branford and editor Wendy Boase, who both died of cancer in 1999, it is the only award that acknowledges both author and editor.

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece was edited by Fiona Kennedy of Orion Children’s Books. The novel is the tale of a family torn apart after a terrorist attack, and handles difficult subjects such as bullying, racism and alcoholism with sensitivity and wit.

Pitcher, a former teacher, appeared at the 2012 Telegraph Hay Festival and her second novel, Ketchup Clouds, is out in November.

More than 60 books were submitted for this year's award - more than double for the first award, which went to Katherine Roberts. Among the previous authors to have won are Marcus Sedgwick, Mal Peet and Meg Rosoff. Last year’s winner, Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace, went on to win the Costa Children’s Book Award.